According to the dictionary a totem is a natural object or animal believed by a particular society to have spiritual significance and adopted by it as an emblem. In my travels I came across something called a Lake Totem. The idea is to photograph a lake when the water is completely still, like glass. Then you rotate your photo so that the horizon is vertical. Voila, you have a lake totem. Here are mine taken at Lake Kashagawigamog, Ontario. For good measure the first one is the original before rotation.

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I am no professional photographer. I started with a little digital camera and people seemed pleased with my pics. Last Christmas I got a Nikon D3000. Well talk about complicated machinery. I do not do it justice yet but Charlie Chew, a Freshly Pressed blogger at carliechew.wordpress.com, assures me “Photography takes time, so keep shooting and you’ll get it, I promise .” Thank you Ms. Chew for your encouraging words. I went out this morning to capture my lilacs and I couldn’t figure out why the darn camera wouldn’t take my shots. I pushed every button on the thing. I have two words for you…..lens cap!!! Here are some close-ups I took (finally) I hope you enjoy.

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I’ve had a lot of firsts this year. I couldn’t tell if I was nervous with excitement or fear. I hadn’t set an alarm clock since high school. A solid breakfast and a lunchbox hadn’t been my morning routine either. I used to jog to work, but that would be a ten-hour jog at six mph. I slumped into the driver’s seat and reluctantly started my commute. Preoccupied with new job jitters, I rounded the corner. The panorama that revealed itself made me involuntarily gasp. The contrasting beauty of nature, black and white, delicate pink, sky blue; a commute that will never lose the awe-inspiring, God-like appeal.

Photo credit belongs to Douglas McIlroy

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Beggars and soldiers were all that remained the day Mother Earth gave back.She raised up her mighty ocean in a tsunamic slap,to clean the parasites that encrusted her skin.She cried from the heavens with lightning and hail, and flooded Her suffering skin,in an effort to heal the filthy mess her children left her in.A warning to all who won’t heed Nature’s signs or heed Mother Earth’s discipline.What we ignore now is only a tap, compared to what Mother Earth will bring.

I wanted to include some words of wisdom with my poem. The following are various quotes that inspired me regarding the state of the earth today, and the state the earth will be in if we don’t start the healing process.

” Humankind has not woven the web of life. We are but one thread within it. Whatever we do to the web, we do to ourselves. All things are bound together. All things connect.”Chief Seattle

“The time will soon be here when my grandchild will long for the cry of a loon, the flash of a salmon, the whisper of spruce needles, or the screech of an eagle. But he will not make friends with any of these creatures and when his heart aches with longing he will curse me. Have I done all to keep the air fresh? Have I cared enough about the water? Have I left the eagle to soar in freedom? Have I done everything I could to earn my grandchild’s fondness?” Chief Dan George

“When we Indians kill meat, we eat it all up. When we dig roots, we make little holes. When we build houses, we make little holes. When we burn grass for grasshoppers, we don’t ruin things. We shake down acorns and pine nuts. We don’t chop down the trees. We only use dead wood. But the white people plow up the ground, pull down the trees, kill everything. … the White people pay no attention. …How can the spirit of the earth like the White man? Everywhere the White man has touched it, it is sore.” Unknown Wintu Woman, 19th Century